Deutschlandlied
}} |alt_title_2 = Deutschland Über Alles |en_alt_title_2 = Germany Above All |image = Deutschlandlied.jpg |image_size = 180 |caption = Original manuscript, kept in . |prefix = National |country = Kingdom of Germany |author = |lyrics_date = 1841 |composer = |music_date = 1797 |adopted = }} 1949 in 2008 in Großgermania |until = |music = dasliedderdeutschen.ogg |musictitle = ''Deutschlandlied (German) }} The Deutschlandlied ( : Song of Germany), also known as Das Lied der Deutschen (English: Song of the Germans) as well as by its first line, Deutschland Über Alles (English: Germany Above All), is the national anthem of the Kingdom of Germany and the former national anthem of Großgermania. The music was composed by in 1797 to be played during the birthday celebrations for and was accompanied by the lyrics of . The current lyrics, advocating a unified Germanic state, were written by in 1841. Considered revolutionary by the nobility of his native , the lyrics resulted in his exile. Von Fallersleben spent much of the remainder of his life in , at the time a possession. History The Deutschlandlied was widely used during the as a symbol of German unity alongside other currently-used symbols of Großgermania, including the coat of arms. The melody, coupled with the poem , became the anthem of in 1806, and was maintained by until its dissolution in 1918. When the was formed in 1919, it initially had no anthem, but adopted the Deutschlandlied in 1922. With the 's rise to power in 1933, the song was maintained as the official national anthem of the , though in practical use only the first stanza was sung, followed by the . The first line was utilized by Nazi propaganda to advocate German and racial supremacy, and for this reason only the third stanza was subsequently used by the as its anthem. The used a separate anthem, , until its into a in 1991. Upon the rise of the Germanic reunification movement in , spearheaded by the German National Unionist Party, use of the first stanza began to increase dramatically. Upon the creation of Großgermania in December 2008, the anthem, in its full form, was reintroduced as the national anthem (though individual regions maintained their own anthems), using the name Das Lied der Deutschen to emphasize the empire's status as the home of the German people, not as Germany itself. The Kingdom of Germany also reintroduced it as its anthem, maintaining the name Deutschlandlied. However, despite the change of the title, many ethnic minorities, as well as the governments of numerous constituent countries, complained that the song continued to reference Germany, not Großgermania, and a movement to change the anthem's lyrics was born. In December 2009, Das Lied der Deutschen was officially abandoned as Großgermania's national anthem, with a new version of Auferstanden aus Ruinen replacing it. Lyrics While serving as Großgermania's national anthem, the song had ten versions for official use in Großgermania, as well as a government-endorsed English translation for use internationally. A -language translation of the song has never been made, as the song was replaced as the national anthem prior to the adoption of Prussian as a regionally-recognized language of Großgermania. At federal and international events, only the German-language version was usually sung, however all versions were sung at the first convention of the Reichstag, as well as at the opening of Unification Day ceremonies. The following were the official lyrics as approved by the Imperial Government of Großgermania and the governments of the various provinces that have each of the languages as official. As the anthem is now only used in the Kingdom of Germany, only the -language version is now official. Category:National Anthems Category:Symbols of Großgermania